Alcohol Treatment in Anne Arundel County
If you have been charged with or convicted of a DUI, some form of alcohol treatment in Anne Arundel County may be required of you. Judges will often require attendance and participation in alcohol education programs, they may also require attendance at a victim impact panel.
There may be advantages to voluntarily enrolling in an education program in the wake of your charge. A seasoned DUI attorney may be able to help formulate a defense strategy incorporating alcohol treatments.
What an Alcohol Education Program Is
Alcohol Educational Programs (AEP) in Anne Arundel County have multiple levels and stages for treatment.
A social drinkers program is for individuals with a low risk of reoffending such as those in the program after a first offense. This level of class is generally about 12 hours in duration, typically over a six or 12-week span, or occasionally condensed into one weekend. If someone has a little more-significant issue, such as multiple DUI offenses or a history of alcohol abuse, they go to different stages, 26-hours, 26-week program, and even weekend inpatient programs.
There are many different kinds of alcohol education programs in Anne Arundel County. Most are offered by private institutions, but there are also some offered through health departments, the military, or schools.
Required Attendance vs. Voluntary Participation
If someone has a DUI and would like to pursue probation before judgment, often a judge will require that an individual first engage in and complete an alcohol education program. This program will be a condition of the probation as ordered by a judge.
DUI programs are designed to help people, so anyone can voluntarily attend one. It is not a requirement to have a legal requirement to attend. Many may attend alcohol treatments in Anne Arundel County to work on what they might perceive as a drinking problem.
If someone is charged with a DUI, taking an alcohol education course may help them appear proactive to a judge during the trial. The judge might require the EP anyways, but volunteering puts the defendant in a strong position to demonstrate they are prioritizing the issue.
What is an Education Program in Anne Arundel Like?
Typically, the education materials used in DUI courses are presentations, brochures, literature, or anything that could be a helpful educational tool.
There are various assessment tools that are universal throughout the country and recognized as proper alcohol assessment questionnaires and tools. The MAST test is one, but there are many other tools practitioners use.
The programs are primarily run by private institutions and licensed practitioners. A person should approach an alcohol education course with the intent to complete it.
Online programs are available but generally not favored because they may not be as effective as in-person, face-to-face counseling and education. Some judges do not even recognize the online programs.
Online programs may work as a last resort, but many are not certified, and they are often nationally run. Judges tend to prefer programs that are tailored to Maryland specifically.
Group Therapy Options for Alcohol Abuse
Many individuals benefit from self-help meetings, primarily Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA meetings are run by individuals who have the same day-to-day struggles with alcohol abuse, and it may be very therapeutic to hear from individuals sharing similar difficulties. The nature of the group may contribute to a shared sense of accountability to remain sober.
DUI group discussion topics are usually about the daily conflicts of drinking and its dangers but can be anything on somebody’s mind. This alcohol treatment in Anne Arundel County is all about dealing with choices and the harmful behaviors of addiction.
Victim Impact Panels
A victim impact panel, otherwise known as a MADD panel, is run by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It is a two-hour seminar that a person attends to hear from the victims of accidents, families that have lost loved ones, people who have been hurt by drunk driving. Attendance to these panels cannot be planned or done ahead of time. They only happen after a judge orders them once a case is closed.
Judges order attendance at the sessions regardless of what the case is about.
Call a Lawyer For More Information
If you have been charged with or convicted of a DUI, alcohol education programs may be required of you by a judge, or otherwise, a way to bolster your case. An attorney may be able to tell you how these programs work, and how they might fit into a defense strategy or post-conviction penalty mitigation. Call a lawyer today to learn more about alcohol treatment in Anne Arundel County and how they may help you.